USA Club Sevens Championship / Day One Summary

San Francisco Golden Gate Among the Clubs Still Vying for National Sevens Title

SAN FRANCISCO – The first day of the USA Rugby Men’s Club Sevens National Championships wrapped up Saturday at Rocca Field on Treasure Island, narrowing down the field of competition from 16 teams to eight vying for the National title.

San Francisco Golden Gate (SFGG) Men’s Club may not have advanced to the Cup Quarterfinals in the easiest fashion, but it definitely kept its fans on the edge of their seats. The local sevens team secured their way through pool play by beating Glendale (Colo.) by 45 points. SFGG needed to win by more than 33 points after losing their first match to the Chicago Lions by 21 points and winning their second match against Northern Virginia (NOVA) by just one try, 21-14.

It seemed like a difficult task, but SFGG took it in stride and led by National Sevens Team member Jone Naqica, scored 31 first half points against a stunned Glendale side. Glendale lost all four of the games it played on Saturday, and head into tomorrow as spectators and nothing more along with the likes of Milwaukee, the Chicago Griffins and Tempe, who also lost all of their first day matches. SFGG, on the other hand, will play the reigning champions, Aspen, in the Cup Quarterfinals at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Among the 12 elite men’s squads left in the competition only eight of them move into the Cup Quarterfinals (winners bracket) for a chance at the title, while four will continue to compete for the bowl in what is essentially the consolation bracket.

Still among the teams vying for the 2009 title is the Southern California side, Belmont Shore, along with teams from Denver, Old Blue (NY), Life University, Aspen, Chicago Lions, Atlanta, and of course, SFGG.

“I knew this event was going to contain some great competition between clubs, and it hasn’t let me down.” USA Men’s Sevens Coach Al Caravelli said. “The level of player talent is increasingly impressive as they continue to get stronger and fitter and raise the level of play for all athletes.

“So far there haven’t been any big surprises in the teams that have advanced,” Caravelli added, “but some, like SFGG especially, just took a different path to get there.”

With only seven players per team playing seven minute halves on the same size pitch as a 15s match, rugby sevens offers a spectacle of non-stop action where speed, skills, and athleticism rule the day. The sevens version of this sport is gaining in popularity and is one of the two summer sports recommended by the IOC Executive Board for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games.

Admission to the event is $10 a day for adults. Children 18 and under are free and there will be a $5 fee for public parking. Youth rugby sides with 10 or more members wearing their team jerseys will be acknowledged on game day so coaches are encouraged to come out with their teams. Rocca Field is located at the corner of California Avenue and Avenue M, Treasure Island, San Francisco.

For more information on USA Rugby’s Men Club Sevens National Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/usar_championships. USA Rugby will also be streaming this event live via the web at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/usa-rugby.